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The Stockholm So Far
The Stockholm So Far Prehistory On April 4th 1914, through the valiant efforts of several Centurions from two generations and the Royal Navy, the Shadow Federation’s mad bid for immortality no matter the risks or costs was ended. And though the mood of the heroes on the ground in the obscure and devastated British town of Saint Haven was a good deal more grim and frustrated than this description might imply, it seemed to them that they had accomplished a great victory. But while it would take some time for most of them to learn of this cruel twist, it was around the same day that a new and even greater menace would emerge to terrorise Europe. The young Centurions who took part in the Battle of Saint Haven had split up, their mission done and their fates – and mentors – pulling them in different directions. Sarah Hayes had vanished without a trace on the day after, though later there would be scattered reports of someone matching her description being seen in certain parts of Africa. With the beginning of the Great War, however, the Century Club and all of its individual members soon had bigger things to worry about. Although Sarah did indeed end up back in her native continent and stumbled into some truly astounding if also sometimes horrifying adventures, that is, for now, another story not directly connected to the one that led her former teammates to Stockholm in 1917. Viktor Vaughn died just after the end of the final confrontation in the inner sanctum of the Saint Haven Citadel, but the body and spirit underneath that persona lived on. Now calling himself Gregor Kovacs, the boy travelled on his mentor’s instruction to Rotterdam and then to Paris, where he was charged with establishing a spy network. Already in Rotterdam, and mere days after Saint Haven, he had a run-in with what might have been Schwarzmeer’s first monster, at least as of the 20th century. Referring to his ‘benefactor’ as Meester van der Graaf, the thug transformed into a hulking creature, but failed to kill Gregor. Having escaped its clutches and fled to Paris, to carry out his assigned task with the help of Czarna’s coven transferred to him by faerie magic, Gregor began to encounter more and more such monsters, as well as cultists and other agents working for the man of many names, eventually even making brief but traumatic contact with what appeared to be a shard of Schwarzmeer himself, for that, indeed, appeared to be his favourite name. Having immersed himself in Paris’ underworld, Gregor discovered multiple groups doing this sinister master’s bidding – most particularly, combing the city for an old artefact related to one of the antagonist’s past identities. Reluctantly teaming up with some unlikely allies and narrowly escaping the burning light of Schwarzmeer’s enforcer Maius, Gregor and his coven saw to it that the artefact was destroyed, but afterwards he had to depart the City of Light, French authorities having been thoroughly infiltrated by the enemy. His other comrades’ encounters with Schwarzmeer’s minions and creations were not quite so intensive and prolonged, but nevertheless noteworthy. Fernando José Salas del Monte determined to take part in the Giro d’Italia 1914, only to find himself wrapped up in a web of intrigue and violence unfolding along its route, as his fortuitously acquired bike (or maybe a certain item carried by its previous owner prior to his unfortunate death) attracted the attention of a small squad of Schwarzmeer monsters – while the simultaneous Futurist riots also turned out to have been influenced by the villain’s agents. Having successfully and violently resolved both matters, Fernando finished the delivery of the artefact to a priest named Domenico di Diomedio. The father turned out to be a Century Club contact, who filled Fernando in on the peril of ‘il Svevo’ and recruited him for Europe-wide efforts to combat his agents. Lin Tsao’s first encounter with the “black dragons” (as Schwarzmeer’s agents were dubbed by British intelligence) was as part of Unit 1 of the Century Club Junior Squad, when, during the Battle of Gallipoli, his assassination of Kemal Mustafa coincided with a sudden eruption of monsters commanded by people in black robes. Those monsters attacked both sides, and while Lin and his fellow Centurions managed to defeat them with relative ease, the attack made it impossible for the British forces to follow up on Lin’s success. Lastly, Else Rommel, who became part of the Research and Development Division’s Gaffgarion Project, found during the Battle of Verdun that some sinister individuals seemingly affiliated with the French Army were using some highly unusual and disturbing magical technology to attempt to separate her from her new demon-plane, one of them also using a black amulet (like the ones encountered by Gregor and Fernando before) to transform into a monster in a pinch. The culmination of her confrontation with them came when a huge, thick magic fog was created by the French, an animated and malevolent entity that turned scores of the French troops into monsters and invaded Else’s very soul before she and her countrymen could destroy the transmitter towers channelling it into the world. In all of those encounters, some common themes could be seen to emerge. The Centurions’ enemy was almost totally obscure, arising seemingly out of nowhere and hiding behind multiple names and multiple groups; and though they could thwart some individual schemes and defeat some specific minions, their master himself always remained out of reach. This knowledge, coupled with the continent-wide menace he represented and the sheer abhorrence evoked by his monstrous creations and twisted, never before seen magic, made it inevitable that their first encounter with him would not be their last. Gregor, after escaping Paris, moved around Europe in an effort to stay ahead of the vengeful pursuit and put together more of the big picture, his mentor having dropped out of touch again. Fernando, as mentioned before, was sent out to stop and destroy individual cults and collaborators in different cities, learning less but doing more immediate damage in the process. Lin was the least aware of the group, but even he was thrown – sometimes by fate, sometimes by the British military – into further encounters with cultists and monsters. And Else, while redeployed and denied further contact with this enemy, who has at any rate switched to more subtle tactics for a time, worked tirelessly to study and prepare for their next meeting. The Great War divided and distracted the Century Club and its resources, allowing this threat to grow and spread, free from the threat of any coherent response. Nevertheless, the young Centurions (both those four and some others) were not the only ones trying to find a way to deal with this threat once and for all. Others, more experienced and well-connected, worked on it as well, trying to find out more about this enemy’s nature, plans and whereabouts, so that a knockout blow could be delivered. Towards June 1917, those efforts finally paid off. Prologue Stockholm in 1917 had the advantage of being the capital of one of the few European nations still clinging to neutrality. This did not mean, however, that the war had not left its own mark there. Hunger and economic downturn; sympathies towards one side or the other; overall growth of radical sentiment – all those tendencies had added to the northern kingdom’s already considerable domestic strife, giving rise to riots, militias and paranoia – an atmosphere in which Schwarzmeer’s agents, as well as other criminals and agitators, were bound to thrive. Its neutrality, and ties to both sides, had also served to attract revolutionaries, smugglers and agents of all sorts. For all that, however, it was also a seemingly safe meeting place for those hoping to sidestep the war. The Socialist Conference, dead in the water as far as its peacemaking efforts were concerned, still became a significant forum for various European left-wing groups hoping to work out a new way forward – and others using them as cover for their plans. The gathering of the Conclave of Magicians likewise attracted fewer attendants than was hoped, but still drew out some unexpected guests – even as it gained some untoward attention also. Finally, Adam Vinter, a Century Club agent involved with the Schwarzmeer investigation, arrived with fresh intelligence out of Russia but also with a healthy paranoia. He let news spread, through what he hoped were secure channels, that he intends to meet up with Centurions wishing to tackle this problem and share what he had learned. Given the conditions of war and mutual suspicion, fewer answered this call than he might have hoped for, but perhaps they were enough. It helped that, with the recent Russian Revolution and growth of socialist influence in that country, the Socialist Conference acquired a new kind of political and strategic importance, the Russian delegates becoming a link to some of the major factions in the unstable young republic. The British government dispatched Lin Tsao, hoping to catch two birds with one stone: both deal with the “black dragons” and ensure that Russia, apparently troubled by their activities, remained in the war. Else Rommel’s mission from the Order of the Dragon was in curious parallel to this (take out both Schwarzmeer and Russia out of play) though unlike Lin she was assigned to a rather more involved senior agent on the ground. Gregor Kovacs’ allies and his suddenly though briefly resurfaced mentor both pointed him towards Schwarzmeer’s Russian base as well, the latter informing him of Adam Vinter’s whereabouts and instructing him to go to Stockholm first. Lastly, Fernando’s path to Stockholm was the most contrived of all, as he attempted to corner an old enemy, Dr. Mostro, only to discover that the mad scientist had terminated his alliance with Schwarzmeer and used him to tie down the pursuit while he escaped. But it was not before Mostro dropped a hint as to Schwarzmeer’s plans for Stockholm, and when Domenico’s network confirmed the rumblings coming out of that city, Fer jumped on his bike and pedalled like the wind. Unbeknownst to them, the Saint Haven Team was converging once again... Ill Met in Stockholm Of course, one advantage of being a spy and keeping an ear to the ground was that Gregory Kovacs – or as he now became, Anthony Starks – had learned about this meeting in advance. He arrived into the district of Sodermalm a month and a half before the main event, accompanied by a recently recovered member of the coven, Tomasz Grobnik. Together, they worked to set up a small network of informers and a miniature criminal empire (a couple of gangs paying him tribute), finding, however, that it was much harder to make headway without the numbers Anthony could scoop up in much more occult-heavy Paris. Still, some important groundwork was ready by the 16th of June, when events suddenly began to accelerate out of control. The first indication of this came when Sybille de Montparnasse, once Gregor’s right-hand woman in Paris, tracked Anthony down and informed him of the magicians’ gathering being almost ready to begin. Briefing him about what little she was able to find out so far along the way, such as the Order of the Dragon apparently keeping participants from the Central Powers away and the efforts of the organisers to draw in more Americans and Asians to compensate. Their stroll across Stockholm was interrupted by an encounter with Tomasz, who was apparently mugged during his attempt to collect the taxes from the gangs, on the behalf of an emergent player in the criminal game. Noting this new development Anthony sent the Pole on his way and asked Sybille to get them to the magicians’ gathering place faster. With a little help from her supernatural friend, Sybille complied, and after a short interdimensional swim the two of them emerged in an obscure section of the Guide House, soon meeting and briefing another newly returned magic minion: Balthazar Lucknow. Not long before they had arrived, a scene unfolded on Guide Street, the Stockholm side of the Conclave’s meeting place. Master Theophilus, the main organiser of the gathering, had arrived there at the same time as Albrecht Falkenrath, a fellow magic-using Centurion who had not been seen in well over a decade. The two elder Centurions were accompanied by youngsters as well: Theophilus by Lin, there to act as his bodyguard while waiting for further developments, and Albrecht by his apprentice Seraphine Ziemniak. In a moment of characteristic wizardly neglect, the two elders slipped out into another dimension to access the Guide House and exchange magic gossip, leaving Lin and Sera without adult supervision for a few minutes. The result was a disaster. Fortunately it was one that was relatively easily contained, although it also raised some troubling questions. After getting bored of talking to each other and failing to determine where they were supposed to be going now, they began to search the area and bother what few people could be found on the strangely obscure street. When Sera finally found someone willing to talk to her, however, the elderly German-sounding man turned out to be decidedly unnerving, oddly well-informed and eager to offer himself as a “friend”. Getting antsy, the young sorceress decided to summon up some magic fire for self-defense... only to somehow wind up starting a fire that soon spread throughout the street, with some apparent assistance from the gratified stranger. When Lin finally noticed the man and took exception to whatever he was doing, the latter withdrew and allowed them to put out the fire with some inventive teamwork, at which point the elder magicians arrived to do damage control, quickly whisking them away into the Guide House and mostly ignoring their concerns about the weird old man while their colleagues took care of the burn victims. It was an auspicious start to both their visit and the Conclave’s work. Afterwards they were given intact clothes and escorted to the Forum to make their introductions, meeting some other magicians before the main event, including Granny An. Else Rommel had arrived into the city only the night before, flying her bound-demon plane, Gaffgarion. Along the way, she spotted what appeared to be a military air patrol, but decided not to interfere, focusing on getting to the destination mentioned in her instructions as quickly as possible. The green fire of Gaffgarion flew like a comet through the Stockholm night sky, creating a good deal of agitation among local paranoids and some work for the Division’s allies. Nonetheless, she arrived safely in Djurgarden, and made her way into what she would later learn was Jarlson Mansion, escorted by the Swedish soldiers placed at the disposal of the local agent, Irene Tannhauser, “the next best thing” after their superior could not or would not assign a Centurion to the region. Meeting Irene, Else found that she was not what the woman had wanted as her reinforcements. Nevertheless, they got to work, determining the limits of Else’s autonomy, the priorities of their work and Else’s first assignment – to track down a Century Club contact known as Adam Vinter. Finally, Fernando’s epic bike journey across Central Europe had culminated in the nick of time during the day as he rode into Stockholm. Approaching the city, he encountered a fellow cyclist; a young woman who turned out to be a fellow Centurion, Danica Krdzevic, now on her way to meet up with her mentor in the city. They had to split paths, but not before enjoying a pleasant high-speed conversation and Danica could point Fernando at where he would need to go (as he had neglected to ask back in Italy): the local Century Club meeting hall. Missed Connections and Black Moves The June 16th preliminary gathering and introductions at the Conclave of Magicians proceeded smoothly enough, if not as planned. Falkenrath’s reintroduction to the world of magicians was full of mutual snarking and disparagement, though mostly jovial enough. This continued when he introduced Seraphine, much to her repressed dismay. Lin, on the other hand, made himself popular with his funny jokes (it was the way he said them) and his legendary sword, even though he refused to tell the curious wizards exactly how and where he acquired Excalibur. Just then, Sybille de Montparnasse and Balthazar Lucknow arrived, flanking a new face: the mysterious and fearsome Magister Sparks, a seemingly young man who nonetheless possessed a gravity and flashiness far beyond his apparent age. His cryptic hints and intimations served to both confuse and intimidate the assembled magicians, with the apparent exception of Falkenrath, who publicly assured everyone that he knew who this was and privately soon made it to the new arrival that he wasn’t falling for it and was expecting something in return for playing along. The official beginning of the gathering was put off for lack of sufficient wizards; nonetheless the introduction served as an acceptable beginning to their mingling, though many of the participants soon sought to depart. On the other hand, new magicians continued to arrive, including Ariadne Rikskjold, whose presence soon distracted Falkenrath from his blackmailing attempt. In the midst of his scheming, the rogue wizard found time to ask Lin to accompany Sera (or as he put it, use her as a bait) to investigate that weird old German they all cared so much about, in case he showed up again. The two of them, not eager to get cooped up with a bunch of wizards, got back into the real world to investigate the scene of Sera’s rampage for any signs of the man, but found nothing. Instead, someone found them – a rather beat-up British agent, who requested their assistance. The safehouse that he tracked Adam Vinter to had come under attack. A combination of boredom and duty obliged the two Centurions to investigate, travelling to Kungstradgarden in Norrmalm with the spy. When they arrived it became clear that they were too late: there was an explosion in the hotel where their contact was apparently holed up and now the police was out in force. While the spy took all of this in, Sera’s mind wandered and she once again spotted the stranger from before. This encounter proved no more fruitful or enlightening, at least not on a conscious level, though he did drop some more cryptic hints when Sera and Lin came at him with obvious questions. As the man went away and the spy got the Centurions back on track, their initial bumbling attempts to get the police to let them through to investigate caused Sera to panic and start another fire. In the confusion, they managed to get to the hotel, where they found that Adam’s room was practically destroyed by the explosion, but there were no human remains in sight. Instead Lin found a strongbox marked with the Centurion symbol; cutting it open, he found an address (to Adam’s other safehouse), an antique key (which would later turn out to allow one to go into the Guide House without wizardly assistance) and a ring. This investigation was interrupted by the arrival of two huge and bizarre monsters downstairs, slaughtering their way through the cops and menacing the spy. Lin and Sera leaped into battle with swords and sorcery, respectively, the latter summoning an unearthly monster of her own to assist. Although the monsters put up a very stiff resistance, the Centurions began to prevail. From upstairs they heard the cultists who set the trap exclaim their dismay; they hoped to ambush Lin, but did not account for Sera being there as well. While Sera rushed to investigate, Lin finished off the monsters before they could retreat, surviving the explosions set off by their dying bodies even though they forced Sera’s “wraith knight” to withdraw back to wherever it came from. Meanwhile Sera scared off the cultists and survived the trap they left for whoever would dare follow them. She let them escape and instead scooped up some of the black goo, papers and bizarre equipment she found in their room. With the sense of a job well done, the Centurions picked up their now further-battered spy and went back to the Guide House, deciding to rest and heal up for the day rather than follow up on the new address. Meanwhile, Anthony Starks resurfaced in Guide Street and briefly got lost in the labyrinth of Gamla Stan’s streets. After cautiously ignoring what seemed to be an apparition of his old friend Fernando in distress, he finally found his way back to Sodermalm where he conferred with Tomasz, finding out that he had another run-in with the men who beat him up and took revenge, capturing one of them and interrogating him rather forcefully to find out that he and his friends were working for someone named Hjarna (or “Brain”), who recruited them at Karlssen’s. His questionably alive prisoner then spoke to them, or rather someone spoke through him, saying that he did not desire to continue this fight and that Anthony should back off while he still can. Then the corpse exploded. Unamused, Anthony set out to investigate Karlssen’s, or rather sent one Ghostface Killer to do so on his behalf. After grilling a lowlife known as Old Vasiliy about the inn and its proprietor, the worthless son of the legendary old crime boss Gustaf Karlssen, Ghostface Killer strode right in there with the Russian still in tow. While Vasiliy introduced him, the man in the fencing mask was drawn into a conversation with an individual known only as the Romanian, who took him for an agent of Starks and restated Hjarna’s warning, then attempted to persuade him to switch sides and tell Starks that Adam Vinter, a former Century Club agent, was seen meeting with Hjarna in that very inn. Aside from this peculiar offer, Ghostface Killer’s efforts to make friends in the communist-infested drinking hole did not go well to say the least, and he had to retreat, noting on his way out the presence of a Schwarzmeer monster. Earlier in the day, Else’s and Fernando’s paths converged as they both set out for the Century Club Meeting Hall as the most obvious lead in their respective missions. Both had encounters with peculiarly well-coordinated Swedes, that went from disturbing in Else’s case to harrowing in Fer’s. Nonetheless, they both survived and met up on the small island of Riddarholmen, soon finding the Century Club Meeting Hall and finding out, from its solitary clerk, that Adam Vinter had come and gone, but not without leaving a hint on how he could be found, and a message that underscored the urgency of this pursuit. Their visit was interrupted by the Swedes from before launching an attack on the Meeting Hall, seeking to capture the Roll of the Treasures of Sweden. They were no match for Else and Fer, however. Investigating the Roll itself, they found out that Adam had looked through it, presumably searching for whatever the Schwarzmeer cultists were after in Stockholm, but could not find anything that he was sure of. They left determined more than ever to find him. Talking in the Dark The day was drawing to a close, but neither it nor the Centurions were done yet. Except for Lin and Sera, who basically were and shortly went to sleep. As did Anthony, having crawled back to his home. But Else and Fernando were not done; they headed down to Horn Street and found what appeared to be Adam’s safehouse, only to be warned off from going into it by a small boy, who pointed out that it was trapped and asked them to come back in the morning to meet Adam Vinter in the courtyard. This they agreed to do, but not before attempting to take care of the irritatingly numerous interlopers spying on them. They killed one man and left another for the dead, after learning that he and presumably his friend were working for someone called Hjarna, but they failed to catch a quite possibly magical snake and did not even quite spot the third man... Who quickly ran back to his master, who was then having a bad dream. Not for the first time since her death, the man who was Anthony dreamed of Madam Czarna. But this time it was different, as if a part of her was still defiantly clinging to life – and now trying to get back at him, perhaps through a certain pendant he had recovered at the ruins of her family mansion in Poland. However, she had another goal beyond mere terror and humiliation. She ordered him to bring her pendant to her “successor” at the Conclave of Magicians and then seemingly did something to his soul to make sure it would stick. Then he woke up, in the scarcely more pleasant company of Balthazar who informed him that he spotted Else and Fer, his old associates, looking for what was probably Adam Vinter in Horn Street, and likely to continue this tomorrow. He also mentioned the arrival of more magicians to the Conclave. After hearing out all the details, the spymaster reluctantly set out to re-establish contact with his fellow young Centurions. Sera’s awakening on 17th of June was followed by a confusing and ominous conversation with her mentor, following which Falkenrath rather unceremoniously shoved her headfirst into a different room, where... Lin’s morning was both more and less eventful than that, as he got lost in the Guide House looking for food and ended up opening the shutters in a certain room looking out into the dark void. This seemingly brought several entities into the room: a woman who avowed to be Uliana Gorinova, a Russian Centurion whose arrival was previously advertised by members of her coven who arrived ahead of her, and what appeared to be demons of fire. A confusing struggle began, as the room’s own magical defences were activated and Uliana barely guided Lin away from doing anything too stupid, outside of being set on fire during his overzealous attacks on the demon. She then led him to a swimming pool elsewhere in the Guide House, letting him put out the fires while she slipped away after a brief chat with Falkenrath. The older wizard then found Lin, for some reason pretended not to have noticed Uliana and assured him that Sera was “cooling off”, before handing him over to Master Theophilus who was getting a bit impatient for Lin to finally track down Adam Vinter. Then Lin got magically thrown out into Stockholm to go do so already. Else’s and Fer’s plans for the 17th were already set, but the late evening of the 16th still held a couple of interesting encounters for them. Else went back to the Jarlson Mansion to once again speak with Irene, receiving her go ahead for cooperation with other Centurions and a warning about subversion in parts of Sweden’s security apparatus. Meanwhile Fer lodged at the Century Club Meeting Hall, where he dined with the clerk, Frida, and her “uncle Adolf Bernard”, only realising towards the end of the conversation that the man was in fact King Gustaf V. Sad at having been discovered, the Swedish monarch nonetheless gave Fer a Guide House key and charged him with keeping his city safe. At Last We Meet Again and Apokalypsis So it was that early on the 17th of June, four of the Centurions were reunited – though Anthony of course did not bother to disclose his previous identity. Despite this and the tension between Else and Lin, the four soon decided to work together, a decision that was reinforced when it became apparent that their contact was now under attack, from both Hjarna’s mind-controlled “soldiers” and the police. Half-sneaking, half-charging towards the courtyard, the team swung into action, facing down superior numbers – a situation made even worse when a few of them used their black dragon amulets to transform into beings like the trolls of Scandinavian myth, and another man deployed a highly destructive djinn from a thrown lamp in a desperate revenge strike. Hjarna also seemed to have endless reserves, rushing out the tenants of nearby buildings against the Centurions when they seemed to gain an advantage. Despite all this, they prevailed. Gaffgarion’s outspoken and overwhelming hatred of djinns as filthy, debased mongrels successfully motivated Else to destroy the one rampaging in the courtyard, while Lin and Fer did not hesitate before slaughtering trolls, thugs and ordinary Swedes alike in a bloodthirsty rage. Anthony delivered some punches and some taunts, saving Adam from the apparently subverted or perhaps deceived police. One of Hjarna’s last men on the battlefield was killed before he could use a second djinn lamp, which was promptly secured. Finally, Hjarna’s attempts to bring reinforcements from elsewhere in the city drew the attention of the Swedish military and especially Irene’s ally Major Archibald Douglas, who promptly arrived to bail them out and put an end to this horrible fighting in broad daylight. The battle reaching its conclusion, Douglas arrested the misguided policemen and had some of his men secure the area and identify the dead Hjarna troops, none of them having shown any willingness or ability to surrender. He then escorted Adam, the boy Anders, and the Centurions back to the Jarlson Mansion, which now became an improvised headquarters for the Century Club’s efforts to stop Schwarzmeer’s schemes in Stockholm and beyond. Having finally succeeded in gathering some people together, Adam proceeded to brief them on what he had learned. Schwarzmeer’s headquarters was indeed somewhere in Russia, and he had been pulling his assets together there to prepare for a ritual that would lead to something called the Black Moon being brought into this world. Adam also revealed some of what he had learned about the structure of Schwarzmeer’s network of villainy: while there was a fairly small core of true and trusted loyalists, the bulk of it was made up of competing groups that were being manipulated into serving his ends, sometimes without their knowledge, sometimes just with flawed information. Hjarna, or Gustaf Karlssen as he was doubtless called, was the leader of one such group, a cult leader of local importance, quite likely acting without coordination with other groups – like the one that sent the policemen, for by now there was no question that some part of the police had been infiltrated and subverted as well. Whatever Schwarzmeer was up to in Stockholm, Adam still did not know, though he agreed with Else’s guess that it likely concerned the Conclave of the Magicians in some way. Combating Schwarzmeer, he warned, would be especially hard as the Century Club branches in both Sweden and Russia have all but ceased to exist, in Sweden back in the 1820s, in Russia much more recently. Nonetheless, this was the task that now fell on their shoulders. And so they made plans... Characters Century Club, Allies and Assets * [[Lin Tsao|'Lin Tsao']], [[Else Rommel|'Else Rommel']], [[Fernando Jose Salas del Monte|'Fernando José "INSANE" Salas del Monte']], [[Viktor Vaughn|'Anthony Starks']] – the so-called “Saint Haven Team” minus two plus one. Despite having only worked together once before, those up-and-coming Centurions have already acquired something of a reputation in certain thus far narrow circles... though it does not appear to have reached Sweden in any meaningful way until now. * Oskar Gustaf Adolf Bernadotte, AKA King Gustaf V, the ruling monarch of Sweden. Unlike some of his predecessors, well-inclined to the Century Club (and Fernando in particular). Apparently the uncle of Frida Lungstrand. '''Also the official host of the Conclave of Magicians, and owner of the keys that allow one to access the Guide House. * '''Frida Lungstrand, the sole Century Club clerk left minding the Century Club Meeting Hall, very surprised to suddenly have actual work to do. And dazed by all that blood and fire everywhere. * [[Adam Vinter|'Adam Vinter']], a Norwegian Decurion of the Century Club who has been investigating Schwarzmeer’s activities for a while now and narrowly escaped Russia after discovering that it apparently contained the antagonist’s main base of operations and largest concentration of servants. He fled to Stockholm in hopes of assembling a team of Centurions to take the battle to the enemy, only to discover that the city was likewise teeming with Schwarzmeer’s agents. After two weeks of evading them, he was finally cornered but rescued in time by our heroes. Currently engaged in trying to get them up to speed on what he learned. * Anders, Adam’s son? Or just some weird kid who follows him around. Resourceful. * Danica Krdzevic, a bike-riding inventor and apparent Centurion whose mentor called her to Stockholm for some mysterious reason. Briefly chatted with Fer along the way into the city. * Irene Tannhauser, a special agent of the Operations Branch of the German Army’s Research and Development Division, AKA the Order of the Dragon. Though not directly connected to the Century Club and working in Stockholm to advance the Order’s own agenda, she is the direct superior of Else Rommel and de facto a major ally, having provided the Centurions with a base (the Jarlson Mansion in Djurgarden) and the assistance of her Swedish contacts. Not a vampire. * Major Archibald Douglas, a Swedish nobleman of Scottish extraction and Irene’s main military contact, in charge of the hand-picked Swedish soldiers seconded to her and now apparently the Centurions. * Captain Ranstrom, Major Douglas’ young but loyal second in command. * Tomasz Grobnik, a member of Starks’ coven (and, like all of them, previously a member of Czarna’s). A hulking Pole and family retainer of the Twardowskis. More cerebral and educated than his appearance might imply, but nonetheless mostly muscle. Possibly quite older than he seems. * Sybille de Montparnasse, a member of Starks’ coven and previously Gregor Kovacs’ “right arm” in Paris. An increasingly powerful and knowledgeable magician in her own right, but despite this pathologically loyal and helpful. Associates with a demon known as Murmur. * Balthazar Lucknow, a shifty bastard and a member of Starks’ coven, though unlike Sybille he had not seen his new master since Saint Haven. Apparently obedient, due to magic, but very snarky. Prior to his time with Czarna, had been a member of Master Theophilus’ coven, but grew sick of Theophilus’ sanctimonious and aloof attitude and switched, with his permission, to a more congenial master; when Czarna died, was uniquely eager to be enslaved by the Faerie Knight rather than Viktor Vaughn. * Magda Koestler, a member of Starks’ coven. An old lady of limited magical ability, but knowledgeable, observant and experienced. According to Balthazar, has now arrived to attend the gathering of the Conclave of Magicians. * Robert Campbell, a British spy whose Scottish surname clashes with his Cockney accent. Got terribly beat up at some point. Then was afflicted with Lin and Sera, but somehow pulled through. Funnily he might be the leading non-Centurion British agent in Stockholm for all everyone knows. Magicians * Master Theophilus, a British Centurion, Claviger of the extraordinary gathering of the Conclave of Magicians, mentor of Simon Laffey. While technically he is also meant to be Lin’s principal contact in investigating the “black dragons” and other sinister occurrences in Stockholm, he seems much, much more preoccupied with the affairs of magicians. Congenial enough outside of that though. Apparently hopes to use the Conclave of Magicians 'to work for peace in some as yet unclear way. Specialises in manipulation magic or metamagic. Has many students but has not apparently brought any of them to the gathering. * [[Albrecht Falkenrath|'Albrecht Falkenrath]], a German-ish Centurion. A long-time recluse who had unexpectedly come to this gathering to insult people and present them his apprentice Seraphine. Somewhat disagreeable and roguish, and tainted by rumours of association with disreputable people and obvious disinterest and contempt for Theophilus’ high-minded goals. But apparently a powerful wizard in his own right, specialising in stasis, whatever that means. Seems to be up to something or other. * Ariadne Rikskjold, Centurion. Another recluse who unexpectedly decided to attend. An actual real life Swedish Centurion, a rare breed. Rather arrogant, with a small coven of her own and some past connection to Albrecht Falkenrath. * Seraphine Ziemniak, young Centurion, a natural sorceress of great but poorly controlled power. Her great-aunt (or whatever) was a powerful magician as well, but her mentor Albrecht has steadfastly refused to reveal that woman’s true identity. Very bratty and susceptible to uncontrolled magical eruptions. However, briefly provided Lin with assistance in investigating the Kungstradgarden explosion and acquitted herself well in the battle that followed. Afterwards, according to her mentor, went to “cool down”. Was not heard from since. * Uliana Gorinova, a young Russian Centurion of apparently partly-Asiatic origins with her own small coven already in attendance. Took a shortcut on her way from Helsingfors through the deep dark void outside of the Guide House and might have paid for it with her life if not for Lin’s help. Apparently whatever has brought her to Stockholm must be very urgent... * Granny An, a Teochew Centurion based out of Paris, a sweet little old lady and a powerful witch. Supposedly. * Edhard Vidocq, a drugged out paranormal detective and another French Centurion rumoured to have made an unexpected journey to Stockholm to attend the gathering. * Stella Borealis, not a Centurion, but a magician; not too powerful, but still capable; apparently the permanent caretaker of the Guide House and also charged with accommodating the visitors. Not very happy. * Magnus the Swede, he turns into a bear or something. But also has healing powers? Or at least helped some of Seraphine’s victims in some way. Maybe by turning into a bear? * Theognosis Lombardi, an Italian magic healer. Rather uptight, but helpful and decent enough. A Neoplatonist. Has a particular personality conflict with Falkenrath. * Felicity James, an American magician and sister of Celerity James. More of a dabbling socialite than anything. Interested in Excalibur. * Celerity James, an American magician and sister of Felicity James. An evoker of note, with apparent ties to the Washington Century Club. * Sir Khaleed, an Arab explorer and occultist, associate of Master Theophilus. More knowledgeable than powerful, supposedly, but above all very mysterious. * Magister Sparks, an enigmatic but surely very puissant new participant, who appears to be somehow linked to the Twardowski family – has hinted that he is Jan Twardowski himself, returned to save the world from a shadowy peril! No one is quite sure what to make of him, but most are quite awed. * Cedric, a man who claims he is a druid, a heir to ancient Celtic magical traditions, but has an Anglo-Saxon name. What a dupe! * ,a mysterious old German man in a top hat. Not an official attendant, but probably a magician? Possesses eerie abilities and an unknown agenda. Stalks Seraphine for unknown reasons and encourages her to use her magic more. Retainers of Schwarzmeer * Hjarna, AKA Gustaf Karlssen, an old criminal lieutenant of the mysteriously disappeared Shadow Centurion Lord Allard turned an occultist and at last a cult leader and lieutenant of Schwarzmeer. Possesses some manner of magic that allows him to control his underlings directly and absolutely. Said underlings, his “soldiers”, include both a large array of criminal toughs and militiamen and some ordinary unfortunate tenants in areas under his control. * The Romanian, or at least someone with the accent, apparently working as a more subtle messenger for Hjarna, hanging around Karlssen’s inn and trying to poach the Ghostface Killer away from the employment of Anthony Starks. * Francois and some as yet unidentified woman, black-robed cultists who were doing... something at Kungstradgarden. The woman appears to have seniority in this pairing, and is evidently trusted enough to be left in charge of two advanced Schwarzmeer monsters known as Ravagers. Having lost both, the cultists cut their losses and retreated in an unknown direction. * A Summoner? Whoever put those djinns in their lamps... Socialists * Comrade Parvus, apparently one of the true masterminds of the Russian Revolution or so they say. * Joseph Lyndon, formerly one of Masque’s anarchists, now an unofficial British delegate at the conference. * Hawštyn Krabat, ditto but German and more legit, will probably not come up again due to his first name being too hard for me to casually reproduce. * Erik Karlssen, the son and heir of Gustaf Karlssen, but apparently quite at odds with his father (and unaware of his father’s agents all around him). A strong believer in the communist cause. Others * Mr. Ming, the European Chinese crime boss. Possible Shadow Centurion. Whether or not he is present in the city personally, his agents most certainly are, and are currently engaged in a turf war with Schwarzmeer’s agents. * Ghostface Killer, a recent local urban legend. Is he a ghost? Is he a killer? Why does he wear a fencing mask if he doesn’t have an epee? Some (particularly those who are neither local nor superstitious) just think he’s a police agent. Others that he’s an enforcer for Anthony Starks or some other criminal player – maybe even Mr. Ming. * Satan, AKA Lucifer, the Devil – a fallen angel, the adversary of humanity and the master of all evil. Rumoured to be in the city, possibly connected to the witches gathering there to serve him and to the freakish green fires spotted in the sky the other night. Is said to have made some manner of deal with Jan Twardowski back in the 16th century. * Old Vasiliy, a shifty old Russian smuggler and middle man. * Snakes, elongated, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes. Found in unexpected places all over Stockholm. Locations http://chartae-antiquae.cz/en/maps/38246 Norrmalm: Northern mainland city district, containing both industrial and business areas; according to some of Anthony’s informants, Hjarna’s “gang” moved in from there, even though Karlsson’s old haunt was in the south; regardless, it is by now common knowledge among those in on the plot that the enemy is active in the region. * Kungstradgarden: public garden, site of one of the “witch fire” incidents. * Torlof Birger’s: an unexpectedly shoddy hotel near Kungstradgarden. One apartment there was briefly used as a safehouse by Adam Vinter and also the location of the explosion he used to fake his own death. Another was occupied by a pair of Schwarzmeer cultists and their equipment. After Seraphine and Lin arrived to investigate and ended up fighting a couple of advanced Schwarzmeer monsters (while allowing the cultists to escape), the hotel became even shoddier and was closed for a thorough investigation. * A Schwarzmeer base is supposed to be somewhere in this district, but the location has not yet been narrowed down. Riddarholmen The Knights’ Islet, a brave little island connected to other parts of Stockholm by a number of bridges. Full of historic buildings. Recently disturbed by intrusions of both Centurions and their adversaries. * Birger Jarls Torg: central square of the island. * Sekelstorn: the Century Tower, the Century Club Meeting Hall. Mostly neglected since the 1820s, due to the conflict between the Century Club and the Swedish monarchy at the time. Nonetheless, contains some items of note and considerable records (including the Roll of the Treasures of Sweden); also a kitchen and some bedrooms for visiting Centurions. Slightly burned. Gamla Stan (AKA Staden, Stadsholmen) The Old Town the central island of Stockholm, a historical, political and cultural centre. Narrow streets and houses to match. * Stockholms Slott: the Royal Palace in Stockholm, residence of King Gustaf V. * Guide Street: an obscure street of no importance or interest whatsoever. The site of another “witch fire” incident, but it’s just not important, okay? Helgeandsholmen Another small island adjacent to Gamla stan. * Riksdag: the Riksdag. Djurgarden An eastern district located on a large island, mostly divided between a giant park and numerous aristocratic mansions. Also contains various docking facilities. * Jarlson Mansion: normally just another mansion, though lavishly decorated with battle scenes on the inside. Currently however lent by one of Major Douglas’ friends to the Cause, and used by Irene Tannhauser as her headquarters. Increasingly crowded as more and more people are brought in on the operation, with highly varying degrees of trust. Sodermalm Southern district located on a large island, industrial, seafaring, impoverished, bohemian and criminal. Teeming with lowlifes of all sorts. Among other things, the apparent heart of Hjarna’s operations at the moment. * Starksshuset: a tiny (but well-furnished) house bought by mysterious American journalist, traveller and amateur crime boss Anthony Starks. No one actually calls it Starksshuset. * The Sunken Waste: a run-down (but spacey) inn formerly used by Tomasz Grobnik as his residence because he could not actually fit in through Starksshuset’s door frame. He had to move after a corpse exploded in his room, blowing his cover. * Horn Street, one of the main (and widest) streets of the district. A common haunt of Hjarna’s “troops”, among others. One of the apartments there was used as a safehouse by Adam Vinter, though at some point it turned into more of a trap. Horn Street became the site of the first major battle of this investigation, as Hjarna sent his troops after Adam at his improvised dugout in the apartment building’s courtyard and also attempted to destroy the meddling Centurions that came to answer the Norwegian’s call to action. In the process, he tipped his hand and drew the attention of the elements of the Swedish military working with Irene Tannhauser, who arrived in time to intercept his reinforcements and witness the slaughter carried out by the Centurions in the courtyard. After this point, the underground struggle became utterly impossible to conceal from the citizenry and Horn Street retained a major military and police presence. * Karlssen’s: located somewhere in Sodermalm’s dockside, once an inn ran by Gustaf Karlssen (side by side with his full-time job as local crime boss) and used as a gathering place of criminals, now ran by his son Erik Karlssen and used as a gathering place of communists (and criminals). In spite of Erik’s denunciation of his father, it is still very much in use by shady individuals connected to Hjarna and presumably Schwarzmeer. * Stadsgarden: the aforementioned dockside of Sodermalm, used primarily for civilian rather than military shipping. Also crawling with Hjarna’s troops as of quite recently, but apparently strongly contested by Mr. Ming? * Another major Schwarzmeer base is theorised to be somewhere around here... Guide House A special extradimensional location anchored to Stockholm (particularly Guide Street in Gamla stan). Outside of normal time and space. Accessed with special keys and/or magic. Used by the Conclave of Magicians for their gatherings. * The dark void outside, with swirling green symbols. Apparently can be somehow travelled through, but this is ridiculously dangerous. * The Outer Portal, by the aforementioned void. Normally its windows are shuttered. Guarded by magical statues and countless other cryptic magical effects. * A swimming pool, surrounded by mysterious boulders and enigmatic magic presences. Good for when you are on fire. Also at one point functioned as another portal between itself and the waters of Stockholm. * Various individual rooms, sometimes not quite where you left them but you’ll find them anyway. * The Forum, the largest room by far, with a domed ceiling painted to represent the night sky and eight walls depicting various fantastic landscapes. The floor is blank, however in the middle of it there is a large surface that seems like it should be reflective (but it isn’t). Has various seats and room for loitering. Often also augmented by gaudy magic tricks. Used by wizards for their official and semi-official meetings. * The Blue Room, or the Inner Portal. A largely empty room with blue walls (hence the name), which are decorated with golden torches, eye symbols, scrolls, staffs and wands, no furniture, no windows and just one door leading further into the Guide House. The area through which one arrives into the pocket dimension from Stockholm, or leaves it for Stockholm. The Baltic Sea: A large body of water. Might be Air Pirates in there somewhere.